boatnbikehttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com
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1 http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngboatnbikehttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com
Homehttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/home-2/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/home-2/#commentsTue, 21 Aug 2018 13:54:20 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1782It was over, I had completed the trip from the South coast, through the French canals, through the Mediterranean, around the Iberian peninsula and back across the channel. It hadn’t been the trip that we had planned years ago and I had done nearly 3000 miles of solo sailing. Some had been more enjoyable, the canals in France are fantastic and sailing the Spanish coast in the Mediterranean was amazing. This years trip had been hard, I think the hardest thing I have ever done, with miles and miles of headwind and some really big days. The whole trip had been epic and I doubted I would ever do it again, I doubted I would want to on a boat like Gee N Tee.

The trip had shown me some amazing parts of France, Spain and Portugal and with very few exceptions the reception I got from marina staff and everyone I dealt with was superb. The level of English spoken puts my attempts at Spanish to shame but it certainly made things a lot easier for me. The boat had done so well even though things had been breaking and I would need to spend some time to sort them out, the little 8hp engine, installed when the boat was built in 1977, seemed to be ready to run forever though.

For now it was back to family life and sorting out work and a thousand other things I needed to get sorted that had been put on hold whilst I was messing about on a boat. Thanks to everyone for reading these blogs, I have enjoyed writing most of them and when I didn’t the thought of people ready for the next installment of the journey was enough to get me to keep them up to date. I now have a full day-by-day account of the trip which I can look back at in years to come.

Home for good

]]>https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/home-2/feed/4boatnbikeIMG_20180826_112021.jpgPortsmouthhttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/portsmouth/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/portsmouth/#respondMon, 20 Aug 2018 10:49:33 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1780I walked my Dad most of the way to the coach station and said goodbye and was again on my own. It was the last day for now I would be sailing and I was a little bit sad but mostly glad I could stop and also get to see Lara and Seth again. The weather was a little unsettled and after it started raining I got my waterproofs on thinking that I would be in for a wet day, five minutes later I was taking them off again because I was too hot. The weather for the rest of the day was dry if a bit overcast.

The Spinnaker Tower and the entrance to Cowes

It felt a little odd travelling along the English coast rather than France or Spain and I seemed to get less waves from other boats than I was used too, maybe the marina prices made everyone grumpy. I made good progress motor sailing and with the tide pushing me I was making over 6 knots most of the time. I hadn’t really spent much time sailing in the Solent but i’d forgotten how busy it was with ferries and boats heading in all directions, like France there were a few yachts that didn’t seem to want to change course. It didn’t really get any quieter once I was past Cowes and Portsmouth habour entrance was fairly hectic with several boats overtaking me on the entrance although once I was past Gosport marina I was more or less on my own again.

Gee N Tee could finally have a rest

WicorMarine is near Fareham and quite a distance from the entrance to Portsmouth and the wind had picked up by the time I approached the pontoons. There was no walk ashore pontoons at the marina which lowered the price slightly and since I would be away from the boat for most of the time it would be here I wasn’t that bothered. With a bit of help from another yachtie that was working on his boat I found my assigned berth and was blown onto the pontoon without too much bother. My friend Steve very kindly picked me up the next day and drove me all the way back to Wales.

Rowing back to Gee N Tee and at the end of the last day.

]]>https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/portsmouth/feed/0boatnbikeIMG_20180821_085047.jpgPoolehttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/18/poole/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/18/poole/#respondSat, 18 Aug 2018 08:41:20 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1757We had been delayed a day as the weather hadn’t been great. It may have been better to wait an extra day or two with hindsight. We wanted to get to Poole in daylight to make getting into the harbour and getting moored up easier so we set our alarms for 3.30am. It was a quiet start with both the harbour and weather being silent in the dark. We made our way slowly out into the channel and by day break the wind had started to pick up. Soon we were making good progress although the swell was making us roll.

Not the best channel crossing weather

We continued to make good progress, we were motor sailing at first and I did try turning off the engine when the wind built but every time I got the engine off it was like the wind knew and dropped suddenly, after about the fourth time I left the engine on just to try and keep our speed up. We passed the south side of the large ships heading for the start of the TSS with only a slight course change and crossed the south-west going traffic without any course change at all. There were quite a few other yachts heading across at the same time and it was nice (and a complete difference) to me and Pete’s channel crossing two years ago.

The cliffs at Studland were a welcome sight.

The rolling swell had taken it’s toll and my Dad though and he didn’t feel too well. I was hoping that the swell would decrease as we got closer to the English coast but the wind built and our speed increased, it was going to be a fast crossing but not very comfortable one. The swell did drop a little but the wind had built to around 16 knots by the time we passed the first marker for Poole harbour. Once we were close to the chain ferry we dropped the sails and motored the rest of the way and finally came around the entrance to Poole Quay Boat Haven and moored into our assigned berth. It had only taken us 14 hours, beating my trip over with Pete by 3 hours and covering an extra 3 miles.

We really liked Poole Quay Boat Haven, it was well maintained and right next to a Tesco Express and several pubs and restaurants. We also had a wander to the quay opposite the Sunseeker factory and looked at some of the new boats that had just been put in the water. My Dad headed home the next day on the coach and I made my way to Portsmouth and to WicorMarine where I would leave the boat initially whilst I decided where I would be keeping her for good.

Poole Quay Boat Haven and the Sunseeker factory

]]>https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/18/poole/feed/0boatnbikeIMG_20180818_144216.jpgIMG_20180818_171526.jpgCherbourghttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/15/cherbourg/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/15/cherbourg/#respondWed, 15 Aug 2018 16:44:12 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1746I was up early getting ready to leave St Pete’s port but I wasn’t the first up by a long stretch, the yachts that had been boxing me in overnight started to pull out of the cramped visitors berths. By the time I’d finished my breakfast I had a clear exit to get out of the pontoons. Once I was clear of the marina I had thought I might head around the other side of Herm as the Little Russel Channel has a bad reputation, I was going through it at the right time with regards to the tide and when I got out of St Peter’s port the sea was calm so I headed north with the other yachts leaving at the same time.

I had company heading through the Little Russel Channel

The day was a little overcast but cleared up later in the morning and by the time I got to the Alderney race it was bright and warm. I had tried to get to the race at slack water but it was about 2 hours before. I can see why the race has a reputation and wouldn’t like to go through it against the tide or in bad weather. I was getting pushed along at around 6.5 knots with very little wind and the motor on. The surface of the water was covered with swirls and calm patches and little whirlpools dotted about. I was glad to be through it even though shortly after the tide started to change.

The Barfleur on it’s way to Poole

I was resigned to a late finish but instead the wind built and before long I was sailing in a 14 knot wind at around 4 knots SOG, considering the tide was probably pushing me in the opposite direction at around 1.5 – 2 knots I was making very good progress even if it was hard work. I passed the end of the outer breakwater at around 18:30 with two ferries passing me shortly after on their way to Ireland and England.

The marina itself is quite big and on the outer marina wall it stated that a boat my size should head to pontoon K. I motored up and down the marina trying to find the right pontoon but couldn’t for the life of me see it. I downloaded a map and finally found the right spot but it was full. After checking with the office I ended up on pontoon N and finally had a sit down. It was about 47 miles from St Peter’s port which I had covered in about 10 hours, which wasn’t too bad.

Around Cherbourg, A replica Spanish Galleon and the dry dock near the marina

I had made sure I was ok on the pontoon for 3 nights as my father would be arriving tomorrow in the afternoon and the weather the day after didn’t look too great for crossing the channel to Poole.

I met my father at the ferry terminal and we had a couple of days to walk around town next to the marina and also pop to the hypermarket a couple of times before we left. We both liked the marina and the town and it was a nice place to have my last couple of days in France.

]]>https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/15/cherbourg/feed/0boatnbikeIMG_20180815_082055.jpgIMG_20180815_183954.jpgGuernseyhttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/14/guernsey/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/14/guernsey/#respondTue, 14 Aug 2018 07:55:04 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1742I was sad to say goodbye to my family but wanted to move on and I needed to get to Cherbourg to meet my father to cross the channel. I left St Helier early in the morning to try and make the most of the north going current. After a brief wait in the outer marina with about half a dozen other yachts whilst we waited for the cargo ship to come into the commercial side of the port, I left and headed west along the bottom of Jersey. I had tried to get the tides right again and did a lot better, although it was much closer to get to St Peter’s port.

Looking back towards Jersey

The day was overcast mostly and the wind did pick up a little later in the morning but I was motor sailing most of the day. It was a fairly quick run to get into sight of Guernsey but I hadn’t been going fast enough to avoid all of the foul tide. I motored on through the last of miles making only about 3 knots until I rounded castle emplacement and made my way into the harbour in St Peter’s port. It seemed busy inside and I was wondering where to head to when a boat came out and a marina hand directed me to the visitors berth. I did have the choice of staying in the inner marina but access is restricted to the tide and I wanted to get going early in the morning. I got rafted up to a yacht with three guys who helped me get sorted. I was tired after the day and after dinner and a quick look around the harbour headed to bed, it was probably going to be a long day tomorrow as I was going to go through the Alderney race and make my way to Cherbourg.

Guernsey harbour and the view from my cockpit at the end of the day

As I was getting ready to head to my berth yachts kept coming in and by the time I went to bed I was completely boxed in, I hoped that the other yachts were planning on an early start as well.

]]>https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/14/guernsey/feed/0boatnbikeIMG_20180814_131911.jpgIMG_20180814_201935.jpgSt Helierhttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/11/st-helier/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/11/st-helier/#respondSat, 11 Aug 2018 12:41:19 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1721I was ready to get moving again and due to the delays I’d had recently I was going to be passing the channel islands at the same time my brother and his family were there on holiday, it was such a coincidence that I couldn’t miss it so I planned to go from Tréguier to St Helier. It was quite a long way and I knew I would be against the tide for a bit. I had to leave Tréguier on or after high tide, so was away just after 7am. I enjoyed the first part of the day as I left the river and started out toward the Channel Islands. I needed to go around a large bank that was in the way and started off against the tide.

Leaving Tréguier

It was spring tides too so it was slow progress for several hours and not all of it in the right direction. At one point I was down to 1.5 knots. The tide soon changed though and I started to pick up pace, then I picked up more pace. And then some more. Soon I was going faster than I ever had in Gee N Tee (at least speed over ground anyway) and was up to nearly 10.5 knots. It was odd to be moving so fast and not feel it, the sea state was good and it was quite a smooth ride as I made up some of the lost time. Unfortunately I didn’t get enough miles done before the tide changed again and I was back to fighting against a strong current.

The sea was calm even when I was travelling over 9 knots SOG

I had headed more south than I would have liked so I could then make my way towards St Helier without having to go directly into the tide, it helped a little bit it was still a lot later than I had wanted and I was finally heading into the harbour at about 1am. Even my brother and his family had headed past me in the night and were safely tucked up in bed.

I was just heading along the visitor pontoon, entering the marina was not an option as the tide was more or less out and St Helier marina has a sill, when the engine cut out. I quickly tried restarting it but it wouldn’t fire up and I was heading towards the end of the marina. I was thinking I might have to try and raft up against another boat but without the engine it was going to be…tricky. It was then I spotted a stretch of pontoon right at the end, I aimed for it and thankfully even though the wind was pushing me, I was only doing about 2 knots. I jumped onto the pontoon and heaved on the boat, getting a line on the bow and then the stern.

St Helier marina

I had covered over 60 miles and was in bed as soon as I got sorted out and set the alarm early. There was a big sign on the side that said “No Mooring” as it was the drop off off pontoon. In the morning I had a think and realised it was the fuel, because I had been running the engine harder than usual and the day had been much longer than planned it had drained the tank. A quick refuel, fuel lines bled and a good mental telling off, the engine fired up and I moved onto the normal part of the pontoon. I was then moved into the marina once the marina hands started work, which was even better as I was closer to everything.

I met my family and we had a great two days looking around St Helier and a bit along the coast, we also made it to the War Tunnels, which are a great day out and give a really good account of the time Jersey was occupied in the Second World War. It was soon time to leave though as I was due to meet my father in Cherbourg and thought it would probably be easier to head via Guernsey than back to France.

I set off the next day for Treguier. I had another lovely sunrise in the morning and made reasonable progress along the coast. I had debated which place to head for but Sue and Ed had suggested Treguier as it was quite pretty and well sheltered. I had a reasonable run until mid morning when the rain started, it reminded of a few weeks before as it streamed off the end of the boom and left me hiding under the sprayhood. It was generally unsettled and just as I was approaching the entrance to Treguier a squall came over and the wind went from a steady 8 knots to about 24 in the space of a few minutes. I eased the main out and rolled in the headsail but I was still overpowered. The boat in front was already dropping their main and I fought to stay on course whilst they cleared out of the way. At least that’s what I thought they would do.

On my way to Treguier

Meanwhile a small fishing boat had motored into the patch of sea just to windward of me. I looked back at the other sailing boat, it was now motoring towards me in a direct line. I let the main sheet run out but didn’t have enough space to turn to windward. I was able to keep a straight enough line to get past the other yacht and the small fishing boat but it was hard work and with a mainsail that was thrashing about. I finally got head to wind and dropped the main then turned back toward the entrance to Le Jaudy river. I’m not sure what the other boats thought I was doing but I think the lesson is to leave a lot of room for other boats (me). It was a sudden change of wind strength and it’s tough for me on my own to react quickly.

Having breathed a sigh of relief I motored the rest of the way up the river, even though it was over 5 miles and the wind dropped a few minutes later to around 12 knots, I thought I’d had enough “fun” for one day.

Le Jaudy river

I had really hoped that I would be back in the UK for my birthday but I was going to spend it in Treguier instead with a nice pizza and some good wine, although the second year I was one my own. It was quite a picturesque place and the trip up the river reminded me of when I was young and trips up the Cleddau river in Pembrokeshire. It was tree lined with some small inlets with lots of boats on swinging moorings. Treguier itself was lovely and the marina was well kept, which was a good thing as a change in the weather meant I stayed there for 4 nights. There was a large tidal range, so not only did I have to leave at the right time but there were times during the day getting to shore was like climbing a mountain.

Treguier marina at low tide

]]>https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/07/treguier/feed/0boatnbikeimg_20180807_0721571img_20180807_162829img_20180808_110754Roscoffhttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/roscoff/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/roscoff/#respondMon, 06 Aug 2018 12:05:04 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1707It had been really nice seeing Ed and Sue again and I went for a drink with them whilst I was in L’Aber Wrac’h, it was the first time I had been in a pub for nearly three months and I enjoyed the chat about boats and also always appreciated getting more info about places including crossing the channel.

I woke up the next morning and the skies were clear, the forecast promised good weather. I waited to see about that. It was a relatively short day and was only just over 30 miles. I waved goodbye to Ed and Sue, they would be crossing to Falmouth from L’Aber Wrac’h in the next day or so, and pulled out of the marina. It was very pretty as I made my way out of the river entrance and turned eastward. It wasn’t long though until the visibility started to drop and soon it was as thick as two nights ago. I made my way cautiously through about four hours of thick fog. There were several other yachts around and one was checking with others over VHF if the conditions were any better further on but it looked like it was all the way to Roscoff. It was useful for me and I felt like I wasn’t quite alone in the greyness so thank you Typhoon 10.

A yacht passing me in the fog and finally the fog starts to brighten.

There were a couple of moments of panic though, at one point I had looked down into the cockpit to check the chartplotter or something and when I looked up there was a motorboat about 3 boat lengths to starboard, I waved hello but it was a bit of luck I hadn’t been closer to them. Eventually the fog started to clear and soon I could see the land and the channel between the Île de Batz and the mainland and followed the markers through. There were some very shallow areas so I was glad it wasn’t low water.

Part of the channel near the Île-de-Batz

After the fog I was glad to be moored up, unfortunately the marina is a little way from Roscoff itself and I really didn’t have the energy to go and investigate, it was nice enough just to be moored up and have a shower. It’s the first marina I have been to with a lift down to the pontoons.

Roscoff Marina

]]>https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/roscoff/feed/0boatnbikeimg_20180806_155638L’Aber Wrac’hhttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/04/laber-wrach/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/04/laber-wrach/#respondSat, 04 Aug 2018 10:54:21 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1679I was ready to be off again. I had enjoyed the rest in Brest, especially after having my tooth drilled but was feeling that I was nearly home I wanted to get on. My longer than planned stay in Brest had meant the tide wasn’t as favourable as it had been, I needed to go through the Chenal du Four, another pinch point for the tidal streams, which could run up to 5 knots. I needed to arrive at the south end of the Chenal du Four at around low water, about 5pm. I set off at around midday and was there just before, I made good progress even though my headwind was there again. Some marinas have good webcams and L’Aber Wrac’h was one of those, I was able to check the weather from Brest and there seemed to be fog as much as there wasn’t. As I came along the coast I could see it approaching and it went from a sunny day to cloudy and then around 8pm, thick fog.

Before the fog got really thick

I hadn’t been in proper fog before and to be honest didn’t really enjoy the experience, as it got dark I couldn’t see much more than a few boat lengths and even the lit buoys seemed to just appear out of the dark. It’s when my chartplotter is fully appreciated. I couldn’t see a thing most of the time and let the auto tiller keep me on a straight course whilst I stared into the gloom. A light appeared when I was much closer to the marina and it materialized into a fishing boat which motored past me on my starboard side without any one apparently on board….

I saw street lights and then the marina entrance lights, I motored slowly toward the outer wave breaker where visitors moored only to see Ed, half of the couple I had met in Loctudy, in the gloom. He spotted a space in the otherwise full inside and helped me get moored up before disappearing off into the fog, the help had been very much appreciated. It had been a long day and I was very glad to be in the marina, I had decided to have a day off as I was worn out and it also didn’t look like the fog would clear anytime soon.

The view across the river in the morning

]]>https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/08/04/laber-wrach/feed/0boatnbikeIMG_20180804_203747.jpgIMG_20180805_083414.jpgBresthttps://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/brest/
https://boatnbike.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/brest/#respondTue, 31 Jul 2018 14:35:14 +0000http://boatnbike.wordpress.com/?p=1678Leaving the marina at Audierne was the closest I have come to a serious accident since I set off from Brighton. I got up as usual and was feeling tired but ok, pretty much deciding that I would need to call into Brest and get the tooth sorted out. I was watching the current as I was getting the boat ready and decided to get away earlier than planned as even just one hour after high water the current was flowing fairly quickly past Gee N Tee. I got the lines off the boat I was rafted to but the force of the current pushed the stern in and I struggled to get the bow out, nearly entangling bicycles on the other boats horseshoe buoy. Thankfully I managed to push off without any damage to me or them and started my way down the channel. It was then I started to feel physically sick and came out in a cold sweat, soon after I was struggling to stay conscious. I thought I might be able to get the boat onto the quayside where fishing boats moored up as there was plenty of space but I thought that if I moved from my spot in the cockpit I might completely pass out. For a few moments I couldn’t see where I was going and must have weaved as the depth alarm went off as I went under 3m. Almost as suddenly as it had started I began to feel better again and was able to get back in the channel and steer a proper course past all the buoys and out of the harbour.

“Noodle weed” as I called it was a constant problem

I could only think that the tooth was worse than I thought and the physical effort of pushing the boat off from the other one had caused me to nearly lose consciousness. I headed for Brest and the promise of a dentist. It wasn’t the best day to be feeling rough as I was heading through the Raz de Sein, because I had left earlier than planned I made my slow way to the entrance, all the books said the best time was to enter at slack water. I wasn’t far off and the weather was fairly settled so my passage through it was calm, if a little slow. The Raz de Sein, a small channel between the mainland and the Ile de Sein, tidal streams can get up to about 6 knots so getting the timing right was essential.

Pointe de Raz

It was a bright clear day with a calm sea, something I was glad of, as I made my way to Brest. There was plenty of patches of weed around and, even though I tried to avoid them, I thought I might check the prop out if I had the chance after I got my tooth sorted. Ed and Sue passed me shortly after the Raz and I followed them for quite a while until they turned off for Camaret. I carried onto Brest, with the current and wind pushing me up to 6.5 knots at one point. Just before I got to the entrance to the Moulin Blanc marina I saw several boats escorting something big and black. As I got closer I saw it was a navy submarine coming out of the navy yard. I watched it cross in front of me a couple of miles away with it’s escort of navy boats and a lifeboat as a helicopter flew overhead. I thought it best not to take pictures.

Thankfully as I got to the marina entrance I was met by a friendly marina hand who I followed to a berth on the visitor’s pontoon. I breathed a sigh of relief and got an early night.

The excellent dental department of the hospital Morvan

I can only praise everyone I dealt with the next day. The marina receptionist was brilliant, she phoned several places but they were closed and thought I would be best going to the hospital which had a dental department. At the hospital everyone spoke a bit of English and I was able to see someone in the afternoon. It had been an abscess in my tooth which they drilled and drained. I would need a root canal when I got home but for now I would be ok. Even the pharmacist that I dealt with was helpful and spoke excellent English. I got back to the boat with boxes of meds feeling exhausted and decided to have a couple more nights there, I did not want a repeat of Audierne.